Higher order thinking skills have been embedded into state teaching standards, including Standard 9 of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) for 21st Century Life and Careers. These standards aim to encourage problem solving, critical thinking, reasoning, and real-world application in order to prepare students for the workplace…

This study examined the phenomenon of what it takes to be a successful graphic designer. With an identity crisis in graphic design education, design curriculum is faced with uncertainties. With the diversity of programs and degrees in graphic design, the competencies and skills developed among the various programs reflect different purposes, thus…

This autoethnographic study provides a critical analysis of the implementation of ideas and theories derived from Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" (1970) and "Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed" (1994) in a social justice oriented classroom; in particular, themes of critical thinking,…

Teachers working with increasingly diverse student populations are expected, for the first time in American history, to bring all students to high levels of proficiency. American graduates must compete with graduates from other nations, given the realities of the 21st century global economy. American teachers must possess 21st century skills in…

In 2010 the Texas Education Agency adopted newly rewritten curriculum standards for the state's social studies courses K-12. The period leading up to the adoption of the standards proved contentious as the new standards moved out of the writing committees and into the public realm. The issues brought forth from initial readings of the standards…

This study investigated the effect of direct instruction in rhetorical analysis on students' critical thinking abilities, including knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The researcher investigated student perceptions of the effectiveness of argument mapping; Thinker's Guides, based on Paul's model of critical thinking; and Socratic questioning.…

We investigated barriers to and facilitators of effective teacher-child interactions in voluntary pre-kindergarten programs in child care settings. An effective teacher-child interaction enables both teachers and children to actively engage in solving the problems they confront in their daily lives. The effective teacher-child interaction relies…